Chronicling The Adventures Of The Worlds Most Unlikely Runner

Category Archives: Injury

One week since the Brighton Half Marathon. My legs are recovered, I’m feeling smug. There’s only one problem – My feet are Fuct.

I mean seriously

*WARNING – Grossness Alert*

I got properly fitted for running shoes on that running machine where they take a video of your feet and you watch it back with popcorn AND I got fancy running socks AND I even wore preventative blister plasters before I ran but as you can see, that didn’t work.

Wanna see another one

This is a direct quotation from one of the people I live with “Please don’t make me look at them again”

I’ve been advised a hot bath with Epsom salts is the way forward, but does anyone else have any top tips for dealing with blisters? It’s been a week now, they won’t go away and they hurt!!

In other news, I’ve had a few requests to keep this blog going even though the half marathon is finished and I’m only too happy to oblige! I’ve realised that booking into organised stuff is the best way to keep me focussed and keep this fitness malarky going. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to turn into a Keeno (Click here to discover why I NEVER want to be a Keeno) but I’m feeling well, have had a blast over the past few months, so it would be silly not to keep it going. So, over the next few months, I have booked myself into

The Sport Relief Mile in March

The Bupa London 10,000 in May

The Great North Swim in June

The London 10k in July

and

The Great North Run in September which is the worlds BIGGEST Half Marathon (super excited about that one)

It’s gonna be great. I’m gonna get me so much free stuff!!

So until next time, Peace Out – next time I’ll try not to write something that’ll make you vom.

So dear readers, it’s been a while, and for much of it I’ve not been allowed to run. I have been keeping up with other things but if I’m being honest, the past few weeks I’ve been a bit down hearted. By this stage T day has long since past and my weekends should be filled with runs of 7miles+ and recovery drinks. Instead my torturer Physio has only allowed me to do tiny little runs and even with my theme song, it’s not stopped the real worry that I might not have enough time to get prepared for the half marathon in February. That good old English winter hasn’t helped. Last week I got up at six am to go for a run. It was pitch black, lashing with rain and freezing cold – I lasted approx 1 min 37 seconds before I cried a few actual tears and headed back home. I really, really don’t do cold.

I had a moment where I seriously thought of chucking it in. Six am starts are becoming wearing and the woman in the Pilates DVD is starting to get annoying. Then I came back home for Christmas yesterday and remembered why I’m doing this. I’m running for the Alzheimers Society who have provided my family with incredible support over the past couple of years. People have already pledged to give me money and I would hate to let them, or the society down. So, dammit, I’m going to do it. I went out this morning for a little bit longer and remembered how much I love my latest hobby. I felt fab afterwards and the offending hip was 89% ok.

I’m going to have to modify my training plan and throw myself into a dedicated physio routine, but I’m officially back in the game 🙂 Talking of physio, here’s another rant. Remember when I talked about the yoga mat. Well, this pales in comparison to what I’ve added to the list of stuff I own. See below

Since when did I become one of those people who owns a Yoga Mat AND a Trampoline. Last week I spent 45 mins standing one legged on a trampoline while this brick of a torturer Physio threw rugby balls at me. It ranks up there as one of the most surreal experiences of my life, but apparently, from his perspective, I was developing balance and co-ordination skills. Hmmm. Anyway, I need to keep practising this at home so a trampoline was acquired and assembled. The day I get a Pilates ball is the day I know it’s gone too far!

Well dear readers, since my last ramblings, I’ve achieved a first and I’m not sure whether to be proud, or to cry. I’ve picked up my first ever sports injury! My hip has been playing up for a few weeks now making it really stiff after a run. I went to see my friendly Welsh-ex-rugby-built-like-a-tank-physio this week who told me I have a Syndrome beginning with B in my hip making it knotted and inflamed. On another point, I used to have a Syndrome in my jaw beginning with J that made it click all the time. Anyway, I digress ….

The cause of this problem is literally a pain in the butt. Apparently my bum muscles aren’t just weak, they’re completely non functional! Lots of exercises and putting ice on my hip every hour (although surely life’s too short to put ice on your hip every hour) but most importantly, and sadly, no running until it calms down. Never thought I’d actually be sad not to run, and just as I was starting to enjoy running up hills….

This is particularly annoying as T-day is supposed to start next Sunday. T-day is the start of my formal 12 week training plan which will get me ready for the Half Marathon in February. In the mean time I’ll have to substitute running for swimming and doing stretchy things. Which leads me onto my another thing I’ve been thinking about this week…..

Do you ever find yourself doing or saying something which stops you in your tracks – doing or saying something which is so out of your normal character you wonder at what point you started becoming one of ‘those people’. Imagine then my shock when I found myself on the train home from work with a yoga mat under my arm and wondered wtf was going on! I took a serious reality check. When did I become one of ‘those’ people who owns a yoga mat??? I’d started doing something that vaguely resembled yoga a when I embarked upon this challenge and my torturer physio has told me to take up Pilates to try and strengthen up. Still I sometimes look at it bundled up in the corner of my room and laugh a little to myself. What’s next – mung bean salads??

So once again Sportsfans, Over and Out – hopefully next time I’ll be up and running (literally) again.